Chelsea Leyland

International DJ

July 22nd, 2013

There’s a favorite DJ in town (in every town around the world for that matter) and her name is Chelsea Leyland. The native Brit is known for DJing only the most high-profile parties, from setting the tone for Valentino’s runway shows, to opening for Nicki Minaj, to spinning for Google, BMW and The Whitney. This blonde bombshell touches every industry through the music she’s quickly managed to get us all hooked on.

We met Leyland at a dinner at Freemans restaurant, and the girl crush was immediate. As we pillaged the family-style selections, we talked music, fashion, and food through mouthfuls. It turns out Leyland has a weakness for afternoon tea (we were hoping this was the case). When was the last time you, as a manhattanite, took an hour out of your afternoon for tea? We’re thinking it’s been awhile. We visited Leyland in Williamsburg for tea with her, her cat, and a camera…

Describe your ideal food day…

My ideal food day is to spend the day at Smorgasburg in Williamsburg on a Saturday trying food from all the different stands from a rainbow of restaurants. I normally go around 3pm and make sure that I haven’t eaten anything that day so I can really go all out and feast. There is nothing that pleases me more than spending the day picnicking there in the sun.

What’s your drink?

Red wine always and only. I don’t drink any other alcoholic drinks apart from vino rojo.

How do you start your day on a good note? Can you take us through your morning routine?

I wake up and I put the kettle on; straight away I drink at least three mugs of green tea with toasted brown rice before doing anything else. I then tick into a healthy bowl of flax granola with almond milk. I add chia seeds to my bowl once the milk is in there. After doing a couple of hours work, I then make an acai smoothie. I add kale, blueberries, almond milk, almond butter, maca powder, bee pollen, and flax seed oil.

What’s your splurge?

Oysters always.

What catches your eye on every menu?

I hate to say this but a Kale Salad. I will also always go for the octopus.

What are your favorite places to travel to?

Berlin, Barcelona, and Mexico

What won’t you travel without?

Lucas Papaw ointment and Leilani Bishop oils

What ingredient do you consider overrated?

I believe everything has its time, moment and place. I’m not a big cinnamon girl.